I am drawn to wild, beautiful, remote places. I read books about Alaska even as a child, and my first trip to Alaska was in 2009. Alaska is an amazing place and I love to explore it, enjoy it, and learn more about it. The beauty, vastness, light and wildlife of Alaska are amazing. I have only scratched the surface of what I would like to see and experience in this state, and that is what keeps me coming back.

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Photo courtesy US Fish & Wildlife Service.

I’ve had the good fortune to spend many days on the ground in Alaska. Unplugging, slowing down, and literally grounding in a wild place is great therapy and I highly recommend it. I love camping out on a river away from traffic, the internet, phones, computers and television. When I am in Alaska my focus is on the present. Where are we going to camp? What line are we going to take through a rapid? What wildlife are we going to see around a bend in the river?

In June 2016, my family and I joined Larry Selzer, President and CEO of The Conservation Fund, and Glenn Elison, the Fund’s Alaska Representative for Conservation Acquisition, on a rafting, camping, and hiking adventure in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Rafting with Glenn certainly has its advantages. From expertly setting up camp, to extricating our boat that became lodged on a boulder, to helping prepare gourmet meals, Glenn was an amazing guide and provided a wealth of knowledge about Alaska. Prior to joining the Fund Glenn worked statewide with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and oversaw the Refuge—a park roughly the size of South Carolina with remote areas that can only be accessed by small plane. Along with seeing golden eagles, Dall sheep, caribou, merganser ducks, and amazing scenery, this latest trip particularly struck me by experiencing the vastness and unspoiled state of the land and waters, virtually untouched by human activity. 

Dan Tishman and Glenn Elison.  Photo by Jay Wagley.

When you fly over the lower 48 states and look down you will see that humans have touched, dozed, altered, plowed, cut, and dammed a high percentage of the land. When you fly over the far regions of Alaska most of it remains as I dreamed of it in my childhood—vast and untouched. And it’s because of these intact wildlands that Alaska still has rivers teeming with salmon, roaming herds of caribou, and even the grizzlies to keep you on your toes.

Kisaralik Lake with Kilbuck Mountains in background. Photo by Jay Wagley.

Alaska is rich in many things, such as oil, coal, and timber, but it’s greatest export is the model for making conservation work. The Conservation Fund has been at the center of making conservation work in Alaska for nearly three decades, and has helped save more than 320,000 acres statewide. From the efforts to safeguard the salmon sanctuaries of Bristol Bay to the work safeguarding the integrity of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to the groundbreaking effort to remove the Eklutna River dam, The Conservation Fund is keeping the American dream of a wild Alaskan frontier alive.

Eklutna River. Photo by Eklutna Inc.

Alaska is not immune to the forces that have made wildness scarce across America, but The Conservation Fund understands the importance of considering both the environmental and economic implications of activities and is working to keep whole places whole. That’s important to me because I truly believe there is great economic and social value in preserving land and leaving it untouched so that future generations—of humans, fish, waterfowl, shorebirds, moose, bears and others—can enjoy it.